I am amazed at the price of rent and I am just stunned with how its possible to survive if you have to rent. We are very lucky that if you are low income and have to rent you can help from Centerlink. My partner and I rent out his house to a single mum with 3 kids and she has said there is no way she could get cheaper rent. Im glad we are not taking her for higher rent.

I really hope we start seeing change in homelessness for the better soon. There are many, even those in middle class that don’t realise just how bad it is and turn a blind eye even when it’s placed right in front of them. I came so close to being homeless myself and managed to avoid it, but just got called lazy from family despite working, living in affordable rent (according to current rates) and not buying anything except necessities. I don’t have debt but still struggle.

Thank you Mouth of mums for working together with Home in Place to bring us this important article ! I hadn’t heard of Home in Place before and them providing secure and affordable housing for almost four decades is amazing. Great that they want to put the issue of modern homelessness in the spotlight. A better future starts with a home in place for all indeed.

So many struggling families. I hope people seek the necessary help they need and realise that this too shall pass.

There’s also a lot of denial and ignorance. My toddler and I found ourselves living homeless last year. Ended up staying with a friend’s parents while we had the support of the Salvation Army to get a rental. I now have $80 a week for food, medical, clothes and incidentals after all bills are covered. It’s beyond stressful! Most of my friends and family either dropped away once I became homeless or encourage me not to mention it or use that word. Others suggested I go back to my abusive ex for a period of time!

Thankyou for sharing this. Definitely very true. These people come from all walks of life. The typical portrayed picture is the dirty bedraggled person with no shoes. I work for our church secondhand store and a friend brought a lady she knew in who was a qualified OT and had been evicted from the rental she shared with her sister as her sister considered the multitude of cats she had more important and had been told to get rid of them or they would be evicted. We need to keep not just our eyes and ears open but our hearts. It’s not always what you think.

Homelessness is truly heartbreaking. It’s hard to imagine how many people live without the basic necessities of life, struggling to find safety, warmth, and dignity every single day. Everyone deserves a place to call home—a space where they feel secure and valued. Seeing people in such vulnerable circumstances is a reminder of how fortunate some of us are and how much we need to do to help. Whether it’s through donations, volunteering, or simply showing kindness, we can all play a part in making a difference. Together, we can create a world where everyone has the chance to thrive.

I live in Newcastle, NSW where homelessness is prevalent and visible. You can see tents erected in your local community, vans and cars filling public carparks over night, people desperately waiting at the community pantry. Real estates write clauses into rental contracts too that mean you can’t help anyone either.

Instead of doing up a residence the new government will be living in for possibly only 3 years, they should be putting tax dollars into building new sets of flats or lowering the cost of accommodation and homes for people. This is the first year I’ve heard that someone in our small town are homeless. I live in a small country town. The government are meant to be there for us not to give themselves a fancy place to live in

It’s actually quite scary how many people are homeless – it’s becoming quite the epidemic. There seem to be a lot of homeless in Tasmania and a lot of it is caused because there is simply not enough affordable housing for them. The Council don’t always help either, moving them on when they clearly need help.

We need more awareness and resources. This is a social issue that is only going to get bigger.

I have never heard of Home in Place before and wonder which state in Australia it is a part. Most certainly I will broadcast this article to my network of friends and although I was aware of the probabilities of homelessness especially in older people and mothers of young children who rent and now find that the rents are too high for them to afford. I do hope the government of the day will listen to this campaign and get behind it.

Again, thank you for highlighting this incredibly important issue and for sharing it with this community. Thank you for providing the links in the article. I will be sharing the Modern Homelessness campaign with my networks. It really is important for people in their communities to share and use their voices for change.

Thank you for starting the year with such an incredibly important issue that does indeed impact many people. It is quite horrifying for any woman to not have a safe place to call home and a roof over their head for security. I do know women that cannot afford homes and it does need to be discussed and supports provided.

I worked in this area for years. It is such a complex issue, with so many different things contributing to homelessness: you just can’t generalise. Which of course makes finding solutions all the harder. Understanding and awareness is a good place to start.

This is such an important issue, thank you for writing about it with such grace and dignity. My sister lives in the city and has been saddened at how much the homeless demographic has changed in the last few years. So many young people, people who are working but have no where to go, people who you would never know have to sleep the way they do. I really hope solutions can be found and implemented fast. We all deserve a roof over our head.

We do have a family friend who sleeps in his car most nights. He doesn’t like to stay in one spot too long…will do a bit of work here and there, but nothing full-time or permanent. He doesn’t like being tied down. He’s had a new offer of a unit to stay in cheaply, though will see how long until he gets itchy feet again.

I had a lady who use to work with me who separated from her husband and was living out of her car and I had no idea until she left the organisation. It really is a huge thing, i know the housing market in WA is really bad and so expensive and can take months to be able to get access to a rental. I would hope that I know my friends well enough that they could come to me if they found themselves in this situation as i would never allow my friends to be homeless and would always take someone in to provide them with Shelter. I wish there was more i could do, i donate to charities and i give my old clothes to charities to pass onto people who need it.

I am sure I don’t know anyone who is currently hiding their homelessness. I would certainly help if I did. The cost of living and expensive rents is dreadful nowadays and I can absolutely see how easily one could become homeless. It’s a worry that we all should be aware of.

I don’t think I know anyone who is homeless but you never know I suppose. What a difficult life it would be. With the price of rent and the lack of accommodation it’s no surprise that so many are doing it tough. My heart goes out to them and I hope I can help someone in need if given the chance.